A vacuum coating system for band-shaped materials consisting of two process chambers has been previously described in German Patent DE 19,735,603 C1. In each process chamber is a roller frame in which a guide means and a cooling roller are carried. Depending upon the process technology, each process chamber is divided into various magnetron chambers by magnetron chamber walls. The magnetron chamber walls are detachably connected to the process chamber walls and are arranged at a specified distance from the associated cooling roller. At least one magnetron sputter source used for coating the band-shaped material is arranged in these magnetron chambers. All the magnetron sputter sources and the associated magnetron environment of a cooling roller are connected to a displaceable chamber flange allowing it to be moved away from the cooling roller. The vacuum within the magnetron chambers develops essentially due to the vacuum pumps assigned to the respective magnetron chambers in combination with flow resistance seals between the magnetron chamber walls and the cooling roller.
During the coating of band-shaped material, undesirable coating of the magnetron chamber walls develops and therefore has to be removed from time to time. However, these walls are connected to the process chamber walls. In order to be able to clean the magnetron chamber walls, they must be individually removed from the process chamber resulting in relatively high maintenance costs.